EVERTON winger McGeady reveals how he wishes he kept his mouth shut during several bust-ups and praises Strachan for improving his game.

AIDEN MCGEADY admits he had his fair share of bust-ups during four stormy years with Gordon Strachan at Celtic.

But the Ireland star insists the upcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers with Strachan’s Scotland won’t be grudge matches – because he realises the former Parkhead boss helped turn him into a better player.

Strachan and McGeady had a tempestuous working relationship at Parkhead and first-team coach Tommy Burns always tried to play peacemaker.

Things reached boiling point six years ago when the pair had a screaming match after a 1-1 draw against Hearts.

Strachan felt McGeady had been disrespectful so he fined the winger around £30,000 and banished him from the club for two weeks.

When he reflects on those stormy scenes, the 27-year-old realises it might have been better to let Strachan’s criticisms go unchallenged but has no real regrets.

However, he is man enough to credit Strachan with being a major influence on his career and claims the Scotland boss helped him develop into the top-class performer who eventually joined Spartak Moscow for £11million in 2010.

As we met in Dublin, in his first major sit-down for more than two years, McGeady told MailSport: “Myself and Strachan had our differences but overall he took my game to the next level.

“I won several Player of the Year awards in 2008 and he did help me a lot.

“He was always on at me. Tracking back was probably his thing for me. The penny finally dropped for me that I had to bring that into my game.

“If you don’t track back then you are a luxury player, aren’t you? Only so many luxury players get a game every week at top clubs. You have to be unbelievable, really, to be allowed to be a luxury.

“He also wanted me to appreciate the work ethic side of the game and become more tuned in to being a team player.

“So to improve I had to bring that into my game. I worked on it – I was conscious my role had to change.

“In terms of our disagreements, I’d maybe do a couple of things differently.

“In my opinion, a lot of the time, I wasn’t in the wrong.

“Looking back, for example, at the time I got suspended. Now, maybe, I would bite my tongue. But I think it was building up inside me for a while because of the way I was treated over a period.

“But there is no point in going back over it. I don’t want the article going up in the Scotland dressing-room.”

McGeady’s acceptance that he could have handled certain situations differently is a sign of him maturing.

Now married to Claire – with a two-year-old daughter Kaia and another baby due in July – he has no option but to take a different outlook on and off the park.

The former Hoops star returned to the UK in January when he moved from Spartak to Everton and is a changed man after almost four years abroad.

He said: “Goodness, when I think back to when I was 19 and 20 it was about the next night out. After the full-time whistle on a Saturday I wanted to know who was going out and where we were going.

“Now it’s more about spending time with the family and getting up the road to see relatives and friends you’ve not seen for a while. Living in Liverpool is great because we can shoot up the road for a day. In Russia I got home once every six months.

“I’m also more into looking back over my performance and learning from it.

“I have a different perspective on life. We have a young daughter so I also miss out on my afternoon kips now. I don’t get that luxury any more!”

McGeady will be back in Glasgow on Ireland duty in November when Martin O’Neill’s men take on Scotland.

The SFA will name the venue for that Euro 2016 qualifier in the coming weeks but it’s likely Celtic Park will get the nod and that Ibrox will be used for the opening home game against Georgia.

McGeady, like Irish team-mate James McCarthy, was born in Scotland but opted to play for the Republic.

That made the winger a target for some fans at away grounds during his time at Celtic and he’s expecting more of the same in the Euro clash.

McGeady said: “The game against Scotland will be good, especially if it is played at Celtic Park.

“I’m expecting a bit of abuse from the Scotland fans. It’s also bound to happen to James. I expect the verbal abuse will be worse if the game is played at Ibrox but I won’t let it bother me.

“I hope we can get off to a good start and aim for second place. We don’t really want a play-off as that could be a nightmare.

“There is a big chance for ourselves, Scotland and Poland to finish second.”

McGeady’s spell in Russia ended on a sour note as he was banned from the first team when talks over a new deal broke down.

But he was thrilled when Roberto Martinez – a long-term admirer of his skill and vision – stepped in to bring him to Goodison Park.

McGeady is enjoying life under Martinez although he sometimes feels guilty about the tactics employed by the Spaniard.

He said: “I’m glad it all got sorted so I could move during the January window. I didn’t fancy training with Spartak’s youth team every day until the summer.

“This is the best move I could have hoped for. The manager has faith in me. Some of his ways are totally different.

“He doesn’t want me to track back. Those were the instructions I received for games against West Ham, Stevenage and Villa.

“My natural instinct is to track back and I started to do it a few times. But he told me to stay up the pitch and let the opposition worry about me. It’s different from other managers I’ve had in the past.

“I will keep working hard and want to be a success in the English Premiership. I want to take my game to the next level.

“I’m missing as bit of sharpness at the moment but I’ll get that back.”

***

Aiden McGeady is delighted to be working under former Celtic boss Martin O’Neill again.

And he’s hoping the managerial dream team of O’Neill (below) and old Hoops team-mate Roy Keane can lead Ireland to Euro 2016.

McGeady – capped 64 times – said: “Martin gave me my Celtic debut in 2004 against Hearts at Tynecastle and I scored.

“The following season he selected me almost 50 times.

“He is a top manager and the right man to lead Ireland.

“Martin hasn’t had a lot of time to work with us and get his ideas across. But we have a few games planned for the end of the season and that will be beneficial.

“We’ll be ready for the qualifiers. Roy has also been great and full of encouragement. He is very positive. They are working well as a dugout partnership.”

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